“Hmm. Royal killed ninety-nine percent of everyone who wronged him. I’d like to believe he died with a full stomach.”

  “I doubt it. There was always room for more on Royal’s plate.” Shin waved off his partner. “I’ll be fine. It’s the usual. How can I help you, Amayas?”

  “You heard about Hamilton Cortez?”

  “Yes. I had hoped you would change course.”

  “It was a fixed point, Shin. Had I made another move, the path would have been more dangerous.”

  Shin nodded, as if in resignation.

  “Is there a chance it will come back to you?”

  “There are several possible subsets. I’ll try to stay ahead of them. I’m calling because the larger problem is taking shape. I can’t leave Aston James, so it falls on you, Shin.”

  “It usually does, Inventor. What’s my mission?”

  “I need you to take Charybdis to Zwahili Kingdom. Arrive in the outer system and wait twelve standard hours. You’ll receive a message from my contact in Mumbassa City.”

  “Do I know him?”

  “Quite well, Shin. It’s Francois Adobo.”

  Shin’s half-smile vanished.

  “Last I heard, he was furious about being left off the delegation.”

  “Francois is often furious about something. In this case, however, he has more urgent issues. How many SVs do you have?”

  “Thirteen.”

  “Good. You may need them all. The situation is fragile. Francois believes it might fall apart within a week.”

  “So soon? I thought we had months before …”

  “We may yet. Speak to Francois.”

  “If it’s worst case?”

  “Weapons free.”

  Shin bowed his head.

  “Understood.”

  “I must say goodbye now, Shin. I’m about to have a visitor.”

  Amayas ended the connection.

  That’s one. Now the other.

  Amayas made sure the table was properly set. He hoped his visitor liked the authentic choice for dessert. A favorite of her homeland. He poured two glasses of white wine.

  Forty seconds later, a soothing door tone greeted him.

  “Enter.”

  The door slipped open, and a woman in a humble gown stood in the threshold. Per Bolivan tradition, Amayas touched the center of his chest with three fingers and nodded.

  “Ambassador Osteen. Welcome.”

  “It is my great honor, Mr. Knight.”

  “My friends call me Amayas. I’m not sure what my enemies say.”

  Ola Osteen bent over in laughter.

  Amayas escorted her to the table. She gasped.

  “Is that …?”

  “Red fonta pie.”

  “I’m overwhelmed.”

  “Please. Sit.”

  “Here I am, in the Inventor’s suite. The very man who brought us the miracle of the Splinters.”

  He raised a glass, and Ola followed.

  “The first of many miracles, I hope.”

  “Count on it, Amayas.”

  They clinked glasses and sipped.

  “I wanted to see you tonight because I was impressed by your heartfelt comments to the committee.”

  “Oh, yes. Access to new technology.”

  “Indeed. So, I’m wondering, Ambassador Osteen.”

  “Please, call me Ola.”

  Few people frightened Amayas. In one day, Ola shot to the top of his list.

  “Thank you,” he said. “Ola, what else can I do for you?”

  21

  Bessios

  R OYAL AND MOON DISCOVERED a harsh reality. Being the two most important people in the nine universes did not earn them the key to the city. The flurry of excitement they witnessed from the terrace outside transition house did not linger. Bessians knew the Riders had come, but they weren’t so starstruck as to halt their lives and wait for the last Creators to show them the way forward.

  Corvaan Das, though a devout believer in the Riders’ mission, set Royal and Moon straight. After he told a few tales from his ninety-three lifetimes, Corvaan refused to show them the city.

  “First, you must sleep,” he said. “Time is your enemy. Sleep long and deep. Time will wash away.”

  Royal was skeptical.

  “I get it. Convert to nonlinear time. Go with the flow.”

  “As you say. But not as simple.”

  Royal and Moon shrugged in unison.

  “We walked for five months, not a clock in sight. Time ain’t been a deal since … fuck if I remember.”

  “Still, you cling. Months and clocks. I hear impatience.”

  “How?”

  “Already you plan to run the city. This you cannot do while time is known. Time is your enemy.”

  “But we’re the Riders.”

  Corvaan finished his whiskey and slammed the glass on the table.

  “Even now, Rider laughs at you. Much there is to prove. Much trust to be earned. Many tests. Many times you will die.”

  Moon sighed with exasperation.

  “More tests? More dying? I thought this city was our reward.”

  “With patience. To feel at one with Bessios, remove your selfish need for time.”

  “How will sleep do this?”

  “After, you will understand. Sleep long and deep. A lifetime you have to become masters. This I will show you, but sleep first. Long and deep. Follow me.”

  He led them to the privy in Royal’s suite. He opened the cabinets and rummaged through shelves of bottles and cases.

  “Here. You will take these.”

  Corvaan opened a white canister. He held up a green, ovoid pill.

  “Ten each.”

  “For sleep?” Royal said.

  “Ten?” Moon studied it with reservation. “I’ve been drinking liquor for hours.”

  Royal laughed. “What? You worried about dying or some shit?”

  “Right.” Moon grabbed the canister and poured out a handful. “How did you know these were here, Corvaan?”

  “My memory is long. When time is cleansed, all seems like one.”

  “Take your word for it.” Moon wobbled a bit and propped against Royal. “Just as well. I’m so drunk, I wouldn’t make it through a tour.”

  “No, champ, you wouldn’t.” Royal pushed him off. “One good sleep, Corvaan. That’s gonna do the trick?”

  “Not for most. You are not most.” Corvaan stopped on his way out. “Final thought. Cleanse your innards before you sleep.”

  Royal chuckled. “Don’t wanna make a mess of the bed. Got that, Moon? Empty your bladder and take a healthy shit.”

  “We are immortal,” Corvaan said. “But also we are human. We must take care of our bodies.”

  Moon found something funny.

  “So, I can get killed in all kinds of nasty ways and pop right back up. But I still gotta worry about stomach aches and throwing up and w-what comes out of my ass. How does that make sense?”

  Corvaan responded with an empty stare.

  “You have much to learn, Observant.”

  “Destroyer! I’m going to be a Destroyer.”

  Royal waved off Corvaan and grabbed hold of Moon, who tripped over his own feet. He guided the Hokki across the hall to his own suite and into the privy.

  “I ain’t gonna supervise this shit, Moon. Do like Corvaan said. I’ll catch up with you on the backside, whenever that is.”

  “Sure, Royal.” He supported himself against the sink and set the pills down on the counter. “This has been the best day of my new life, Royal. The best day.”

  “It’s been a fucking eye-opener.”

  “Do you still think it’s a simulation?”

  “Eh. Do your business and get some sleep, Moon.”

  Royal sat on the edge of his own bed for a while, staring at the green pills. He had no clear reason to distrust Corvaan, though he decided early on to take everything the man said with a grain of salt. The man spoke of impatience and the “selfish need for time,” but who broke protocol by entering transition house soon after the spectacle on the terrace? Who seemed eager to win the Riders over? To claim Royal and Moon as his proteges? If the Riders’ mission was not going to play out for a lifetime, why drop in on day one?

  “Too many damn questions.”

  The next time Royal heard his own voice, he climbed out of bed naked and raced to the privy to empty his bladder. He looked into the mirror and saw no evidence of a man who’d risen from a long slumber. Yet his eyes were bright and his mind clear, and his body featherlight. He stopped in the doorway and stared at the bed, where rumpled sheets and smashed pillows reflected a happy tenant.

  He took the pills five minutes ago. Or so it seemed.

  Royal walked into Moon’s suite. The naked Hokki laid on his stomach, spread out above the sheets like a tossed rag doll, his head close to the foot of the bed. He snored.

  Royal traipsed past the pantry and into the kitchen, where he smelled café. Or, as some folks called it, coffee. It was a strong brew, percolating in a spiral, crystalline fixture on the countertop. He’d never seen it done this way. Porcelain cups awaited on a wooden rack.

  “Eh.”

  He passed. This wasn’t like the old days, when he’d wake up restless at a safe house in Pinchon and mooch café from his host. Two cups did the trick, setting him off on his day, stalking his next target.

  No. Royal didn’t need a stimulant. He was wide awake. Noon awake. The day felt half-gone, but not half-lost. He had no sense of missing productive hours or of wasted time.

  “You took the green pills?”

  Royal jumped at the sound of Felina’s voice. He found her in the main room, sitting on the couch. She wore her red wig, a floral blouse, and held an open book.

  “When did you show up? And yeah, the green ones.”

  “He told me. Corvaan Das. He’s been around several times to check on you.”

  “Several? How long did I sleep?”

  “I tried to anticipate. Better I be here when you woke.”

  When he approached, Felina studied him up and down.

  “Oh.” He felt embarrassed. “Fuck me. I’ll go throw something on.”

  “No, no. You’re fine. Better than. You have a beautiful body. Do you feel as good as you look?”

  He hadn’t heard those lines since … well, maybe never?

  “Actually, yeah. I feel amazing. It’s like I’m here but not here.”

  She closed her book and reached for a tall glass of red juice.

  “That’s what everyone says. You asked me how long you slept. I shouldn’t say.”

  “Why?”

  “You’re transitioning. Royal, I don’t like what Corvaan did. He had no business coming to you. But he’s right about one thing: Time is not something you should measure. It will work against you.”

  He sat beside her. He loved the cold cushion against his butt.

  “Corvaan said time is my enemy.”

  “We don’t measure it here.”

  “OK. So answer my question without using a measure.”

  She hesitated. “If I said daylight came and went four times, what does that mean to you?”

  “Huh. Used to mean four standard days. I reckon it don’t work that way here.”

  “No, but you have an answer.”

  It hit him harder than Royal expected. He buried his face in his hands and thought about Corvaan’s words.

  “He said, ‘When time is cleansed, all seems like one.’ Shit, Felina. I can remember every step I’ve taken since I woke up in the Origin, but it’s like I did it five minutes ago. I’m there, but I’m here.”

  “That feeling will grow stronger. Be patient. You’ll have setbacks for a while.”

  “I’ve never been good at patience.”

  “You’re human, Royal.”

  He detected a more somber tone. Felina seemed to have lost the bubbly edge which greeted them at the First Gate.

  “I feel like you got something you wanna say.”

  “It might not be my place.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “My job is done. I was Gatekeeper, and now I have no purpose.”

  “You’ll find something new. What you wanna say?”

  “It’s Corvaan. He told you everything you wanted to hear. You’ll take over the city someday and …”

  “In a fucking lifetime.”

  “And he’ll train you every step of the way. Right?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Did Moon say he plans to become a Destroyer like you?”

  “Yes.”

  “And Corvaan was pleased to hear it.”

  “Sure enough.”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “He’s always been a prisoner to prophecy.”

  “You saying he’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know. But he doesn’t either. Royal, you and Moon are blessed. The Riders chose you. When you’re done, the universes will never be the same. What that looks like, who can say? But following Corvaan down that road will come with a price.”

  “Like?”

  “He’ll take you to a part of this city where paradise doesn’t mean what you think. You’ll become powerful, and you’ll be free in every way. You’ll become new men.”

  Royal laughed. “If you’re trying to talk me down, you’re missing the mark, Felina.”

  She rubbed her temples.

  “A Gatekeeper’s job is to teach you the basics until you’re ready to make a life out there. I can’t tell you what to be. Your decision is entirely personal.”

  “Sounds like that’s exactly what you’re doing.”

  “I like you, Royal. It’s strange. I’ve met so many psychopaths, mass murderers, and war criminals in this job. I make them feel at home because I have to. Plus, I did my fair share of nasty bits when I was mortal. Once in a while, I meet someone like you. Honest to the core, and a smile I can’t resist.”

  “Huh. What? Are you flirting now?”

  She gave him a playful push.

  “No. I’m talking about your humanity. It’s still there. It’s beating as strong as your heart. Yes, I know you’re a killer, and you love it. But you’re not a savage. Not yet. And Moon? He’s not even a killer.”

  “So, your point?”

  “People have tried to take over the city before. They thought they were powerful enough. Brutal enough. They always failed. Why? They weren’t uncompromising, savage animals. Corvaan believes his training and the Riders’ influence will turn you into animals who can take this city. And you have to take it to fulfill their prophecy.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because if you don’t, they’ll know you’re frauds. They’ll never follow you beyond Bessios.”

  “OK. So, this thing I do a lifetime from now – Prelude – involves what? An army?”

  “Yes.”

  Royal felt a hefty tinge of excitement.

  “Who are we gonna fight?”

  Felina must have seen the thrill in his eyes, for she looked away. Another voice, however, answered the question.

  “The Overseer.”

  Corvaan Das leaned against the door frame. Felina bolted from the couch. Corvaan followed her with a blank stare.

  “How long have you been there?” She shouted.

  “Enough.” He shifted to Royal. “She has not lied. I am prisoner to prophecy. You and Moon, I will train to take city. It must happen before Prelude.”

  “To fight the Overseer? The ones up there in the protostars?”

  “Yes. Only Creators can destroy Creators. When they are gone, next will be Final Verdict.”

  “And that’s the bit involving the end of all things?”

  He dipped his chin. “A universe for immortals.”

  “No,” Felina said. “You’re wrong. We’ll be free of Bessios and the Origin, but we’ll coexist with mortals.”

  Corvaan did not change expression. Royal assumed he heard this counterargument across many lifetimes.

  “Believe what you will,” Corvaan said. “I know Riders’ plan.”

  “Sure, Corvaan. Like the Riders told you personally.”

  He rolled his eyes.

  “Royal,” she said. “Corvaan based his prophecy on second-hand information. He never spoke to the Riders. Tell him the truth, Corvaan.”

  “This one is jealous. Always we go round on this matter. She speaks of First Citizens. They taught me, as I will teach you.”

  “First Citizens? Who the fuck are they?”

  “The only non-humans in Bessios,” Felina said. “Legend says the Riders founded the city for them.”

  “Legend? Not fact?”

  “They keep to themselves. In my lifetimes, I’ve never seen them.”

  “How do you know they’re for real?”

  “Stories. Enough from people I trust.”

  Corvaan strolled into the kitchen.

  “Coffee?” He said.

  “I’m good.” Royal saw the worry in Felina’s young, delicate features. She desperately wanted to talk him out of following this man. Yet Royal wasn’t convinced. Though many lifetimes old, she was a child relative to Corvaan. “You gonna take us to these First Citizens?”

  “Already, they wait for you,” Corvaan said, emerging with a cup. “See them after you have taken city. Only then will they show how to defeat Overseer.”

  “The keys to the universe.”

  “Freedom.”

  Royal snapped his fingers. Now the picture filled out.

  “That’s what all this shit is about in the end. The Riders set you down here in paradise. You can do whatever the hell you want so long as you never leave Bessios. I reckon that must be a blast for a while. Moon and I are gonna have some sweet times. That kid lived most of his life hiding away from the real world. He’ll treat this city like a neverending candy store. But there’s only so much candy a man can eat before he’s sick of it. Everybody wants out; you just can’t agree on how it’s gonna happen.” He turned to Felina. “Did I nail it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Corvaan?”

  “A fine summation.”

  Royal had a sudden hankering for coffee, so he snatched the cup from Corvaan and took a gulp without regard for temperature. Damn good cafe. Hot as shit. Best ever.

  “The way I see it,” he said, his tongue burning, “Moon and I got a choice to make. We can figure shit out as we go, or we can get our feet wet with a man who has a plan. Someday, we’re gonna rule this city. Then we’re gonna kill gods. It’s why the Riders chose us.”